Fifth, Pierrot

Prologue

Part 1-Fifth, Pierrot

Chapter 1–Mother Becomes President

Scene 1—-Scene 2—-Scene 3—-Scene 4—-Scene 5—-Scene 6—-Scene 7

Recollection A

Chapter 2–The First Murder

Scene 1—-Scene 2—-Scene 3—-Scene 4—-Scene 5—-Scene 6

Recollection B

Chapter 3–Look For “Seventh, Magician”

Scene 1—Scene 2—Scene 3—Scene 4—Scene 5

Recollection C

Chapter 4–The New “Pere Noel”

Scene 1—-Scene 2—-Scene 3—-Scene 4—-Scene 5—-Scene 6

Recollection D

Chapter 5–We Have a Traitor

Scene 1—-Scene 2—-Scene 3—-Scene 4—-Scene 5—-Scene 6—-Scene 7

Recollection E

Chapter 6–That’s Why I Told You To Escape

Scene 1—-Scene 2—-Scene 3

Part 2–The Duel of Merrigod Plateau

Chapter 1–To Merrigod Plateau, and Sixth, Venom

Scene 1—-Scene 2—-Scene 3—Scene 4

Recollection F

Chapter 2–Reunion and Confrontation, and the Demon of Wrath

Scene 1—-Scene 2—-Scene 3—-Scene 4—-Scene 5—-Scene 6

Recollection G

Chapter 3–Gods and Demons, and Her Last Moments

Scene 1—-Scene 2—-Scene 3—-Scene 4

Recollection H

Chapter 4–The Hellish Yard, and “Ma”

Scene 1—-Scene 2—-Scene 3

Epilogue

Scene 1—-Scene 2—-Scene 3

Extra Chapter

Afterword

Bonus Story

This book marks the fourth in the “Deadly Sins of Evil” series, but unlike the others this one is not based off of any of the “Seven Deadly Sins”. Strictly speaking, it’s a sequel to the previous work, “Gift from the Princess Who Brought Sleep”.

I considered for a moment if it wouldn’t be nicer to just make one deadly sin per book, but “The Daughter of Evil” that I started with already had four books to it, after all. So I decided not to worry about that.

This story is set at roughly the middle of the series, and it has a big turning point in it. For that reason its various scenes and depictions are a little bit complicated, but…Well, I hope you’ll forgive me on that. I needed to come to a settlement somewhere, once and for all. After this it’ll go back to being a bit more simple.

This applies to the previous work as well, but I had several substantial alterations and additions to the plot during the course of writing this.

For example, the true identity of the character that becomes clear in the end of the previous book. That originally wasn’t going to be established in that scene. I figured we would learn the truth alongside the other characters in the climax of this book. As for why I changed it…For no other reason than the flow of the story. I wound up feeling like, “If they don’t show up here, when are they gonna show up?” as I was writing it. Though ultimately I think it was the right choice.

Aside from that, there’s also the diva “Rin Chan”. Frankly, at first she was just a one-shot character who showed up in a Schuburg newspaper article. So I was more careless than usual on her name. It’s basically just “Rin-chan”, after all. Furthermore, before that she’d had the name of “Rinchan Orenoyome”. I’m terrible.

One of the themes that’s pervaded the series is that of the connection between mother and child. Venomania’s mother killed herself because of him, Conchita was abused by her mother (and her final outcome wound up tying into that theme too), and Riliane went out of control as she did out of wanting to become like her mother. Aside from that there’s many characters who have antagonist relationships with their mothers, like Kyle, and Hänsel and Gretel.

This time the theme became something that was more in the forefront. Lemy and Julia had a good relationship, which is rare for this series, but were they ultimately able to understand each others’ feelings? I think you can tell by reading the book, however the two of them are both a little different from the average person. Perhaps that’s why neither of them knew how to love someone or be loved by them. This theme is going to continue on past this point. After all, I’m sure the next work is going to be “The Tailor of Enbizaka”, and I do recall something like “sewing scissors inherited by my mother” showing up in the lyrics. The setting is going to be the country whose name has popped up from time to time through the series, Jakoku. It’s a country that’s based on Japan in the real world.

Well then, let us meet again next at the “Deadly Sin of Envy”—

AkunoP (mothy)

Upon finishing his communications with the surface, Behemo pressed the switch to cut off the transmission device.

…With this there no longer existed any genuine “ghoul children” on the surface.

He was grateful that the protector had been a sensible person. The whole thing would have been a bit more troublesome if he’d expressed any disapproval with disposing of the “ghoul children”.

When it came to the reason for the Zolach family becoming protectors of the “ghoul children”, one would have to go back over five hundred years. It had started when their ancestor married a cursed woman by the name of Lamia Asayev…Well, that didn't matter anymore.

After five hundred years had passed, the Zolach family had finally been released from their fate. Willus Zolach still had on him one piece of that legacy, but that wouldn’t be much of a problem.

It seemed humanity had advanced faster than Behemo had expected. They were going close to twice as fast as his estimations in the beginning—It wouldn’t be that much of a stretch for them to develop a similar advancement to the second period. If that happened, that legacy would soon be little more than pieces of junk from the past.

…Of course, that’s assuming that nothing gets in the way of that.

Well, it wasn’t Behemo’s role to worry about that. Sickle—or rather he should take on the onus for all of that.

Well then…I wonder how much longer I…and him…will be able to keep “existing”?

Compared to the humans living on the surface, Behemo’s lifespan had a length that could be called close to eternal.

But in reality that also had its limits. Like the higher order beings from the First Period for whom that had been so, someday Behemo and the others would be extinguished.

Behemo decided to spend his remaining days sightseeing.

Naturally, if the inclination strikes I might take a pass at heading down to the ground world a little.

Ultimately, it wasn’t that much different from the judgement that had been arrived at by the “old bat” that Behemo detested so much, but Behemo hadn’t noticed that just yet.

.

Lying in wait for Behemo when he exited the Black Box was Allen, looking downhearted, and one other, green haired man who seemed displeased.

“Of course it was you. So you’ve come back, Behemo.”　

The green-haired man didn’t seem especially happy to be seeing Behemo again.

It wasn’t him.

This man’s name was “Held”.

A man who used to be one of his associates, as well as Behemo’s former teacher.

"Long time no see, Professor Held. You look as youthful as ever.”

“The youthfulness of appearance has no meaning for us. –You should know that better than anyone…Why did you have Allen go outside on his own?”

“Why?...He was just in my way. Do I need any other reason?”

“That box is not your property.”

"--Still as obedient to that thing as ever, aren't you, Professor?"

“Still more upright than a cross-dressing deviant and a hysterical woman, at least.”

"I'm not so sure."

“…Put Allen back in the box before he comes back.”

“Sure, no problem. My investigation's already over."

"Investigation?"

“I was just looking at the history that occurred while I was sleeping. I have the right to know that much, don’t I? After all, I am the one who created the bodies of humans.”

Not venturing to speak to Held about the matter involving “ghoul children”, Behemo walked from the Black Box and drew closer to the two of them.

And doing so, he stood before Allen.

“Hey Allen. Looks like you weren’t able to make it to the ‘Gardens of Champs-Élysées’, eh?”

“…Yeah. I was found out by the Earth God while I was on my way.”

“Earth God…Ah, you mean the professor. Anyway, you have my sympathy that you couldn’t carry out your objective.”

“It’s alright—I was just thinking that I’d like to see an acquaintance of mine.”

“Haha. Well, hang in there for a little while longer.…When the time comes, I might have the opportunity to grant your true wish.”

“…?”

Allen tilted his head.

Seeing his look, Behemo laughed once more. "Let me think…A hundred years from now, or maybe two hundred? Looking at things cyclically, she should be reborn again around then. The place will probably be somewhere far further east than Evillious…At that time—“

“I’m not sure I get what it is you’re talking about.”

“That’s alright for now. I’ll explain it to you when that time arrives…Well them, I'm off."

Behemo passed by Allen and then started walking straight ahead.

“Wait. Where are you planning to go?” It was Held’s voice, audible from behind his back.

Behemo replied without turning around, lightly waving just his hand, “It’s been a long time since I’ve come home. I’ve decided to look around a little bit longer...Relax, okay? I’m not doing anything excessive anymore.”

After that, in a quiet voice so that Held and the other couldn’t hear, Behemo murmured, “For the time being...hm?”

.

At the time, Allen still couldn’t have imagined it.

That the day he would once again be reincarnated aboveground as a human was coming.

It was a cold world twelve floors underground.

In there was the legacy of the far-off past, and also of the future.

.

It had been a long time since Willus Zolach, an investigator belonging to the World Police, had last come back to his family home.

He was born and raised in the cellar of the “Castle of Hedgehog”, which was in the northwest of the country of Marlon.

It wasn’t that he’d been strictly confined there. He had been free to go outside, and he properly went to school just like other children.

The Zolach family was one burdened with the fate of protecting Leviantan relics—That was all there was to it. Though the one in charge would change as the years went by, his ancestors had continued to protect this legacy that remained in this place in Marlon.

The current Zolach family head was Willus’ grandfather. Because his son—in other words, Willus’ father—had passed away early, the next head had to be Willus himself.

Willus hoped that his grandfather would have a long life, that so that that day could take as long as possible to come. If he were to become the family head, he’d end up forced to spend his life in this dark, cold basement until the day he died.

Though he had been able to ready himself for that a very long time ago, Willus was still fairly young for retirement. He’d intended to enjoy his free life outside for just a little while longer.

Fortunately his grandfather, who he had come to see for the first time in a long time, still had that keen glint in his eye, and didn’t look as though he’d be simply kicking the bucket anytime soon. Willus was secretly relieved upon seeing that, but what his grandfather announced the moment their eyes met was not what he expected it to be.

“Willus! The time has finally come for our family to complete its purpose.”

Those had been far too abrupt words. When Willus asked what he really meant, his grandfather turned around and explained, while looking into a device that had several small holes in it, “I had a divine message from god. It said to turn off the ‘Freezis’es.”

“...Which do you mean when you say ‘Freezis’, old man? The family that goes by that name on the surface, or—“

“Naturally, the ‘Freezis’ that applies to us are these.”

His grandfather indicated the five coffins in the middle of the room.

Lying inside those clear caskets were the bodies of several dead babies—or that’s what it looked like. The bizarre cold that enfolded the room was emanating specifically from these caskets.

According to his grandfather, the babies inside of the coffin-like “Freezis”es (an ancient refrigeration device) were not actually dead. They had merely been sleeping for the last five hundred years, and they could awaken if given the right trigger.

Actually, among the five coffins, one of them was empty.

The baby inside of it was revived due to an earthquake that had occurred roughly a hundred years ago. It’s said that it slipped out of the underground that way and disappeared into the world on the surface.

That fact itself had occurred before his grandfather had yet been born. He didn't know what had really happened, so he couldn't be sure why the Zolachs of the time had left that baby--the man who’d later come to be called on the surface “Keel Freezis” ―alone like that. But after that the Zolach family had continued watching over the remaining four babies until this very day. Along with the other relics slumbering in the basement.

To the last, the mission imposed upon the Zolach clan was just to protect this place, and so any bit of what was actually inside being let slip probably wasn’t that serious in itself. When Willus had taken one piece of that legacy—the broken gun left in a corner of the basement—his grandfather hadn’t been all that angry.

He’d said, “That’s alright as long as you don’t misuse it.”

Willus had restored the gun on his own, and made it his own weapon. Of course, he only used it against wrongdoers. He’d taught his former underling how to make it, but she was also—well, there was nothing to worry about, probably.

…Anyway, his grandfather said that they were going to be abandoning that legacy that the Zolach line had protected for many years. Because apparently he’d had a “divine message from god”.

It didn’t look that way to him, but it was possible that his grandfather had gone touched in the head, and was merely hearing things. Without having actually heard this “divine message”, Willus couldn’t make any judgment call on that.

But at any rate, Willus had no reason to object. Halting the “Freezis”es--in other words that meant that he'd be able to break away from his lot of becoming the next family head.

"Sounds fine to me,” Willus replied quickly.

.

The actual task that his grandfather carried out was exceedingly simple.

 Press four buttons, pull a lever--With just that it was all finished.

In just the span of a few seconds the babies in the coffins dried out, and now were the size of wheat grains.

…They would probably never be revived.

“I’ll close this place up permanently too. We won’t be able to come back again. If you’ve got something you need, better take it with you,” his grandfather proposed.

But Willus took out his gun from its holster and spun it around demonstratively. “Just this is plenty…When you say closing it up, what’s specifically going to happen?”

“This entire room will be made to drop down even further, until it reaches the depths of the earth. It’ll all probably get burned up by the lava there.”

“How dreadful…What do you plan to do now, Grandfather? If you want you can stay at my house—"

“Oh no, I wouldn’t want to impose. I’m going to go live with Miss Angela.”

“Uh, your old tea-drinking friend who comes here on occasion?”

“We’re already engaged to be married.”

“--! When did—”

“Hoh hoh. You’re not the only one who’s had a burden taken off his shoulders. I intend to enjoy the rest of my life.”

“...Well, that’s fine then isn’t it? Is it alright if I go to see you from time to time?”

“Of course it is.”

.

Willus returned to the surface with his grandfather, and together they went outside from the castle entrance.

Their eyes soaked in the twilight. His grandfather went to meet up with Miss Angela who was waiting for him, and then the two of them headed to her house.

Left all alone, for some reason or another Willus looked up at the sky at that spot.

And he murmured with a sigh, “...God...? Does something like that really exist?”

He hadn’t seen the Heavenly Yard in a long time.

With Gudnatia, the planet he was born and raised on, gone now, this was the only place left anymore that could be said to be home for Behemo.

He had passed through the gates of the Hellish Yard and arrived here, and immediately he was surprised by a field of rice that filled up its entire surface.

Behemo had been sure there wasn’t anything like it in the Heavenly Yard that he knew.

It was probably the work of that nature loving jackass. The research facility and almost all the equipment inside it had been discarded into the “Graveyard”, so the jerk had clearly made a field in the vacant land there.

Behemo didn’t have it in him to be mad about that this late in the game, but he did have one thing that troubled him. He had something he wanted to know.

What advancements had the world below—the Third Period—made while he had been asleep? Behemo had once possessed an “Akashic Recorder” for learning that information.

But that was also currently sealed in the “Grave Yard”. As long as the land of Evillious was covering it, it wasn’t a simple matter to move from here to there. Even if he could successfully make his way there, it was also possible that he wouldn’t be able to return back here again a second time. It was the kind of trap that the old bat wouldn’t think twice of setting up.

Right now there wasn’t any need for him to go to the “Grave Yard” at so great a risk.

That jerk’s Black Box should also have an akashic recorder function.

Behemo figured that he might try to borrow it. As far as he was putting on airs as a sun god, the “Black Box” probably wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

.

Fortunately, he was able to find that Black Box quickly. It had been floating openly in the center of the rice field.

Well, I guess there wasn’t any need to hide it.

Only a select few people could visit here. Just gods like Behemo and him, and the dead of the third period. When it came to the dead, this Black Box was so spectacularly advanced for them that they likely couldn’t operate it, and Levia and Behemo until this point had been wandering around on the surface. He supposed that Held had come here already, but from the start he had been his friend.

As he approached the Black Box, he could hear a faint operation noise from within.

“Lu li la...Lu li la...”

It appeared as though the Black Box was being used That was likely it precisely recording the history of the third period. When he used it he’d be able to learn all about Evillious’ past and present.

Upon touching the box, Behemo faced another truth that would stump him.

“...I don’t have the key.”

There was a small keyhole in the center of the box. Without turning the key in there he wouldn’t be able to open it.

The old bat, who probably had that with him, wasn’t anywhere around. He couldn’t feel so much as his presence, so perhaps he had descended down to the surface. Furthermore it was hard to imagine that he would just hand over the key if he got to where he was.

There was an emergency password protocol that should allow him to open the box without the key but it was useless if he wasn’t inside in the first place.

Maybe I can investigate a bit more.

Behemo changed the channel on the artificial eye that he had. This was one of his unique abilities, and so by being able to switch the channels on his eye at will he had several unique fields of vision that he could employ.

This time he decided to try looking through the box. It may have had its own unlocking methods that Behemo wasn’t familiar with, and even if not, if he was able to analyze the keyhole’s structure he could use that as a basis to construct a duplicate key.

Oh?

Behemo realized that there was someone inside the box.

It seemed as though it was the soul of a dead person.

He didn’t know why he would have a soul locked up, but, in a way, it was convenient for him. If he could successfully win them over, he could have them open the box without having to waste a bunch of pointless effort. As for how he might speak to the soul in the box, he was able to find this through his X-ray vision as well. Behemo pressed a switch hidden on the underside, and a wireless microphone used to convey his voice popped out from inside.

“Hello, can you hear me?”

Behemo spoke towards the microphone, and after a moment a voice came back from it.

“...Sickle?”

It seemed the microphone also served as a speaker.

He couldn’t really tell if the spirit he was talking to was male or female. It was an androgynous sort of voice that could be taken as either.

“My name’s not ‘Sickle’. Who’s that?”

“...It’s the master of this place.”

“Oh you mean him? Why’d he lock you up in there?”

“I don’t know.”

“I might be able to get you out.”

“...How would you do that? Who in the world are you?”

“I’m Behemo. I was originally a colleague of the one you call Sickle.”

After that the replies from the one on the other end stopped.

When there wasn’t a response after waiting a moment, Behemo spoke towards the microphone one more time.

“Do you doubt me?”

“...”

“Well that’s fine. Let’s start by getting to know each other first...Could you tell me your name?”

No reply came.

…No good, huh?

If so he’d have to try another method. Right when Behemo moved to leave with that in mind, he finally got a reply from the soul inside the box.

“...It’s Allen. Allen Avadonia.”

--At some point he had gotten lost in a peculiar place.

It was dim, and there was lava flowing everywhere.

Naked men and women had formed up into a line, wordlessly walking all in one direction.

When he followed along after them, eventually he arrived at an enormous door.

.

There was a woman there wearing a mask.

He pushed through the line of people, and advanced until he was in front of her.

Because it felt like he’d met this woman somewhere before.

.

She said to him:

“USE Dark Star Director Gallerian Marlon. You have executed countless innocent people for money—Is this not so?”

He nodded while smiling.

“Oh yes, you’re quite right.”

“A sinner possessed by the ‘Demon of Greed’—It would be appropriate to send you to hell. …However, I shall give you just one chance.”

“Wait. Before that—who are you? It’s only fair to give your name before taking such a haughty attitude with people.”

The masked woman took a few steps from the door, and gave her name as such:

“I am Master of the Hellish Yard. She who judges the dead.”

“I see. So you decide where these dead people go? Whether it’s heaven, or hell. –Well then, what’s this chance?”

“Money. Hand over all of the fortune you amassed in your lifetime. Once you do, I will hand you a ticket into heaven.”

“So I guess it’s true that ‘money is the best lawyer in hell’...”

“You yourself shall be the one who decides. There is not much time left. Decide quickly.”

He didn’t need any time. He had already decided on what he should say.

He told the Master of the Hellish Yard that—

.

--It was there that his eyes opened.

It seemed he had been sleeping.

He looked around him.

This was the director’s room inside the USE Dark Star courthouse. Where he worked.

There weren’t any other figures in the room. On top of the desk before him were laid out a bundle of documents relating to “Fifth, Pierrot” that he’d been reading, still open.

They had been written over 350 years ago, now.

He closed them, and stood from his chair.

There was a knock on the room’s door.

“Director Gallerian, are you in? It’s me.”

“…Bruno? Alright, come in.”

His aide Bruno Zero opened the door and entered the room.

“I have several things to report.”

“I hope it’s good news.”

“First, regarding the theater…the construction of ’Evil’s Theater’ has been completed without incident. Young miss Michelle has been sent along already—Uh, rather, she is living there now. Along with your collection of ‘Vessels of Deadly Sin’.”

“I hope Michelle’s illness will improve at least a little bit, being surrounded by the forest’s clean air. –What else?”

“The fugitive Nyoze Octo has been spotted. We’ve estimated that he is currently staying with his girlfriend in the town of Rolled in Lucifenia.”

“I see. Kill him.”

“Understood. Then…I shall have ‘Number 8’ take care of it. They are our most accomplished assassin in the Dark Star Bureau’s Special Maneuvers Task Force, ‘PN’, after all.”

On saying that, Bruno’s brow seemed to faintly pull in.

“I’ll leave the personnel selection to you. I’m quite busy making preparations for my next trial. Once that’s over I have dinner with ‘Ma’—Ah, hold on. I’ve shut down that restaurant already, haven’t I? I wonder where we should go tonight.”

“…There is a good restaurant in Calgaround on Merrigod Plateau. I’ll make reservations for you there.”

“That’s a bit far. Ah, well. I suppose I wouldn’t mind gazing at the plateau flowers while I eat.”

“That’s the full report. Well then, I take my leave.”

Bruno turned around to the door, and started to make his exit.

“—Wait, Bruno.” Gallerian called him back.

“…What is it?”

“Are you hiding something from me?”

“…I’ve just reasoned that it’s not worth bothering you with, Director. It’s fairly insignificant, you see.”

“—Well, alright. I trust you. …As long as you’re not looking to turn against me.”

“…If you’ll excuse me.”

Bruno left the room.

.

There are peaceful times and battles in every era.

Those continue to repeat, until finally—

The world gradually draws closer to its conclusion.

.

This karma of “evil” will not end.

Julia was allowed a temporary outing under Ayn’s surveillance.

She could no longer walk on her own.

They reasoned there was no fear of her escaping.

.

On the way to Milanais square, they passed by the Abelard estate in the first district.

The old woman gave no response when she saw it. But Ayn, on the other hand, gazed at it with complicated feelings.

Heidemarie, and Hanne.

The two of them had once again absconded.

What were they doing now?

I mean, it’s those two. They can’t have died—I’m sure I’ll be able to see them again.

He could only tell himself that.

.

Milanais square was filled with a crowd of people.

From among them, they could hear the sound of a girl singing.

“Such a lovely voice—who is it that’s singing?” the old woman asked Ayn.

“That’s the famous diva, Rin Chan. Seems she’s started up her singing career here in Lucifenia again. …Would you like to be a bit closer to watch?”

“No, I don’t much care for crowds--We can just continue on like this.”

Ayn once more began to push along the wheelchair.

The old woman looked up at the blue sky.

And then murmured, deeply moved, “Lucifenia’s truly become a wonderful country...Even with just that, my life has had meaning. I don’t have anything to regret anymore.”

“...I see.”

Ayn also looked up at the sky, as though invited to do so by the old woman.

The sky was clear, without a single cloud.

A single robin flew through it, elegantly heading north.

At the end of last month, former Pere Noel members Gatt Coulomb and Julia Abelard had been arrested in Elphegort, where they had originally fled to.

Gatt had obediently cooperated with their inquiries, but it seemed that Julia had already undergone some abnormality of the mind.

She had claimed to be the “Hero of the Revolution”, and continued at length about a great deal of other things that they couldn’t understand—upon receiving news of that, Ayn and Willus had headed for the World Police’s Elphegort division where the suspects were being held.

When Ayn and Willus met with Julia, she had already started to experience an abnormality of the body as well.

Her face was lined with wrinkles and her brown hair had gone completely white; there was no longer a trace of the president’s once refined and beautiful appearance.

When Ayn asked her name, she said, “I’m…Germaine Avadonia…”

“No, you’re—“

Willus stopped Ayn before he could say much further, and then instead started questioning her. “I see, Miss Germaine. But right now it’s 611 E.C. A century has passed since the era when you were active. What have you been doing all this time? And where have you been?”

“…I don’t know. After I fought with a sorceress at the Lucifenia coast, I started to be gradually overcome with the feeling that I was losing myself. It got a lot stronger around the time I was fighting with ‘Neo Apocalypse’ in Levianta, and then…Next thing I knew, I was just lying in some cave. And then I was arrested by your colleagues when they showed up.”

“…”

“Right…Over a hundred years have passed since then, hm? …Perhaps my mind and body were hijacked by that sorceress—“

.

After leaving the interrogation room, Ayn murmured to Willus, “She’s gone completely insane.”

But Willus replied, head tilted slightly to the side, “I’m not sure, I’m not sure. Perhaps by some chance she’s telling the truth.”

“What are you saying—“

“There’s a Freezis Fairytale that goes like this: the protagonist is a hunter, and one day he finds a robin caught in a trap in the forest. But this robin is so beautiful that he saves it, and lets it out of the trap. In thanks, the robin leads the hunter to a paradise in the forest. After enjoying a banquet there, the hunter leaves the forest and tries to return home. However…

“…”

Ayn silently listened to Willus talk.

“—The world had entirely transformed from the one the hunter knew. Several centuries had passed in the outside world while he was in the forest paradise. Despairing at the world that had completely changed, an even greater change occurred in the hunter. The flow of several centuries of time all started to assail him at once. He rapidly grew older, and then died.”

“…What an irrational fairytale.”

“It was the robin’s revenge. Against the hunter, who had once murdered its parents.”

“Is that right? That doesn’t change the fact that it’s an unbelievable story…You can’t really be saying that something similar has happened to Julia?”

“I’m bearing in mind the fact that bizarre things can happen in this world. And she really is aging at a rapid rate. In the doctor’s opinion, if her aging keeps progressing like this she’ll only have two months to live—apparently.”

On hearing that, Ayn looked down, scratching his head. “Whatever the case, that’s not enough time to charge her for her crimes.”

“The criminal organization Pere Noel has been destroyed--Maybe that’s enough for now. Whether what she says is the truth or not, we should go along with it. …It’s the least we can do for the woman who was once Lucifenia’s president.”

.

Later, she’d expressed the wish that she would like to be moved to Lucifenia.

She was given permission from documents with Ayn and Willus’ signature on it.

.

They found several other peculiar articles in the tunnel that Julia was hiding in.

All of them were taken into the World Police’s custody.

Despite having such an explosion and shockwave inside it, the tunnel that Pale Noel’s grave was inside had hardly crumbled at all.

A single woman walked outside the tunnel.

When she’d been inside the tunnel, she’d been sitting in a wheelchair. She likely would not have made it to the complex tunnel interior without her apprentice’s help.

However, now the woman was steadily walking with both of her legs. She no longer needed a wheelchair. She didn’t know what operation had made things that way.

Despite being able to walk now, the fact hadn’t changed that her body was wearing out.

She would need to find a new body as soon as possible. And it would need to be a superior body that could receive her soul, now that it had grown so much more powerful.

There was one body left lying in the tunnel that was still decently alive. But she could no longer use that one. Now that it had been released from the red cat’s spell, it had already begun to undertake rapid aging. She’d rather use the body she had now than that one.

There was one other problem.

Despite her high magical power, she had become almost completely unable to use magic. She’d held her hand out into the air as a test, but no wind, fire, or lightning came forth.

This must mean that I can’t use my ‘Hypnosis’ either—I’ll need to somehow recall the ‘Swap Technique’ soon, at the very least.

The swap technique had the effect of making the body that she dwelled in live a long life. Fortunately that effect alone hadn’t run out. She’d probably still have that for at least another two or three hundred years.

Before then, she would have to recall the swap technique and find a suitable body.

Those were the conditions for her to continue living.

But…Why do I need to survive so, that I would go to such lengths?

In the first place—

Who in the world was she?

It wasn’t that she had forgotten her memory. On the contrary, she had more memories than a single body could hold.

Levia, Irina, and Eve. She was in possession of all of their memories.

Only one consciousness could manifest per one body. That is, she could have been one of the three women—but that wasn’t the case.

The three souls had fused. And thanks to that, an entirely new personality was in control of this body.      

Once more it asked itself.

Who in the world am I?

.

This body bore the name of “Elluka Clockworker”. So for now I should continue to use that name.

But my real name isn’t “Elluka”.

What did—

What did I aim for?

.

That’s right.

I

Once tried to become “Ma”.

.

My.

My real name is

.

--“Ma”

This was a red world. A space that existed inside the “Glass of Conchita”.

.

The “Demon of Gluttony” Banica Conchita was sitting before a long table. Lined up on the table were a number of bizarre dishes that her servant Arte had brought her.

“Time to eat.”

After Banica said that, she spiritedly started eating. Arte sat down next to her and started elegantly pulling in food.

While holding a great amount of food in her mouth, Banica spoke up to Arte, “Where’s Pollo? He’s not gonna come eat?”

“He’s still sulking in the corner there.”

“What a bother…”

“Nah, it’s just that Lemy…Pollo’s pretty mad. You did try to kill the woman he called his mother just a little while ago.”

“But it’s fine now. I didn’t succeed, after all.”

“That’s not really the problem—Things have gotten to be a bit of a mess.”

Banica swallowed down all of the food in her mouth, and then started to reach for new dishes. “If you think about it, it’s actually quite convenient. I’ve managed to bundle together all the people who serve as a nuisance to me.”

“—What kind of state are they in right now? A fusion of several souls being put into one body like that.”

“The three ‘Ma’ candidates have become one. And so they all lived happily ever after.”

“I wouldn’t call that a happy ending.”

“…Well, let’s leave them be for a while. I have other things to do. I’ve finally gotten you and Pollo—or rather, the ‘Twins of God’ Hänsel and Gretel.”

Banica quickly and skillfully at up her food using a fork, and then finally swallowed the fork down.

“Let’s look for the ‘grave yard’. Once we’ve found it, I will complete my plan as ‘Master of the Graveyard’.”

“But we can’t go outside the glass in our current state. Outside of places like the ‘court’, if we leave we’ll only exist as ‘voices’.”

“So we need to first find a new ‘contractor’. I must achieve my goal before the other—masters pull out ahead of me.”

Banica had eaten up everything that was on the table.

.

“—What a magnificent feast.”

Since yesterday and going on today, she had seen death’s door multiple times.

Attacked by Gatt Coulomb, her throat almost slit by Lemy as he was revived over and over, fired into a peculiar space after being caught up in the explosion caused by the red cat, and after all that she was almost eaten by a giant skeleton. The blast from the convergence of power had once again invited Gumillia to a new location, it seemed.

It was a dreary place, with dirt and bedrock as far as she could see. There were a lot of chasms in the ground, and from deeper within them she could see red lava flowing. But, strangely enough she felt no heat.

This place was quite large. The horizon spread out far in all four directions. And the sky was obscured by a surface of black. A black that was unlike that of the night sky or rain clouds.

There looked to be people here. Men and women alike were all naked, and each of them either sat scattered on the ground or stood around in a stupor, looking up at the sky. Gumillia decided to try talking to an old man that was closest to her.

“Excuse me.”

“Hm? What is it, miss?”

“What is this place?”

“…Ah, a new arrival. This place is the Hellish Yard. Where the dead assemble.”

“The Hellish Yard…!?”

Then did that mean that Gumillia had died? Certainly, the shock that she’d received back then had been strong enough to do so.

The old man continued talking.

“You can see the river of lava I assume. Follow it up. Once you do, you’ll come to see a giant door. And once you’ve passed through, then you’ll be able to reach Heaven, safe and sound.”

“Why haven’t you gone?”

“I’ll go eventually. But…I need a bit more courage. I am a man who once killed his wife and abandoned his son. And committed many other misdeeds besides. There are probably a lot of people waiting for me in heaven who despise me. I need to figure out how I should face these people—and so I’m hanging around here a bit longer to put my feelings in order. It’s probably the same sort of situation with all the others here.”

“Even people who have, committed crimes can equally enter Heaven?”

“This…is an abandoned place. Strictly speaking there would probably be a ‘Master of the Hellish Yard’, and that person would decide whether the dead can go to Heaven or Hell. But God didn’t deploy a ‘Master of the Hellish Yard’ to this place. So now this place is just a mere highway, unable to fulfill its established role. –That’s what I’ve heard from the others.”

“I see…Are there any new arrivals here, aside from me?”

“Maybe. You should try heading over to the door. Most of the dead people are probably gathering there.”

Gumillia bowed her head to the old man, and then started walking along the river.

.

As he’d said, there was an enormous door there. There was a zigzagging bridge over the river of lava, and it looked as though once you crossed it, you’d arrive at the door.

Before the bridge was a single woman—or no, not a woman but a man. The pervert wearing the maid uniform was there, with his foot planted on a mask-like object.

“Behemo…so you died too.”

“Hey, Gumillia. That’s not it. I was just blown down here to the Hellish Yard by the blast. It’s probably the same for you.”

“What’s the mask?”

“Ah…you mean this guy?”

Behemo scooped up the mask and handed it to Gumillia. The mask was a half-mask that only covered the top of someone’s face, with ominous symbols painted on it. And there was no hole to see out of the left eye section.

“—So we meet again, Gumillia.”

Shockingly, the mask could talk. And she recognized the voice.

“You’re…The Demon of Wrath!”

“Yes, this is my true form. A mask with a will—a species that doesn’t exist in this world, but they flourished in the ‘Second Period’, enough to form a country consisting of nothing but the mask race.”

Behemo took the mask from Gumillia’s hand.

“Seems the blast wielded influence even outside of the mental world. The Demon of Gluttony probably opened a hole when she entered.  And so this guy got caught up in it as well.”

Upon hearing that, the mask started cackling.

“Goodness, what a blunder...Though it looks like that other person staying in the key escaped.”

“The other person?” Gumillia asked.

“Yeah. There was another being inside the golden key. Apparently he was repelled from the key as well, and wound up being blow somewhere far away. …I have to think that he’s found some other vessel and climbed inside it by now.”

There were no other figures before the bridge. Gumillia looked around them, and then asked Behemo, “Where are Levia, Irina, Eve, and the ‘Demon of Gluttony’—”

“They didn’t come here. As for what happened to them…I don’t know.”

“Is there a way out of here?”

“I don’t know any way up to the ground world. But it looks like we can head to Heaven for now. Held is likely up there. Asking him about it might be the fastest way to find out.”

Behemo started to cross over the bridge, holding the mask. Gumillia followed after him.

The door was closed, but as Behemo grew closer it opened automatically. A dazzling light seeped out. The light was too bright to see what was on the other side.

“Come on, let’s go—to the ‘Heavenly Yard’.”

Behemo started to enter the door, but the mask stopped him.

“Hold it. Leave me here.”

“…? Why?”

“I don’t want to go to the Heavenly Yard. I don’t want to meet all of them there.”

“But if you don’t, you won’t be able to return to the ground world.”

“I don’t care. I’ve gotten tired of that place. And it looks like there are a lot of new sights here in the Hellish Yard. I would like to start some new research here, now.”

“I see…Well, do whatever you want. See ya, Seth.”

Behemo flung the mask down, and then went through the door.

Gumillia moved to follow him, but the moment that the light touched her left arm, she could feel an extreme heat. She immediately pulled it back.

--Her arm was burned black.

If she entered the door, she’d be burned to a crisp.

“What is it? Aren’t you coming?”

She could hear Behemo’s voice from inside the light.

“Too hot to enter.”

“Ah…So that’s it. That’s a problem. The only ones who can enter the ‘Heavenly Yard’ are dead people. You arrived here in the Hellish Yard while still alive…”

“So why are, you alright?”

“I’m a god. Gods are special cases.”

What did that mean? If she couldn’t go to heaven or return to the ground world, did that mean that she had no choice but to spend the rest of eternity here in the Hellish Yard?

“Is there, really no way to go to the ground world from here?” Gumillia asked Behemo.

“Didn’t I tell you? I have no idea. The only person who knows is ‘Master of the Hellish Yard’—but she’s not here right now.”

“Where, are they?”

“…The Master of the Hellish Yard is my sister, Levia. As long as she’s not in the Hellish Yard, you will never get out.”

Lying on the ground, the mask again started cackling. Gumillia stomped on the mask as hard as she could, and said, steadying her resolve, “…Then, I will wait here. Until the day that Levia—that Elluka Clockworker comes to, get me.”

“Haha, what a laughable thing. My sister, come to get you? …Well, that might end up being the case.”

“--? What do you mean?”

“She’s already regained her memories. And our wish—is to destroy the world. If my sister hasn’t forgotten that, then it’ll come to pass sooner or later. As the ground world is destroyed, the barrier between it and the Hellish Yard will be dissolved, and so it may become possible for you to leave and for her to come here.”

Was Behemo still aiming for the destruction of the ground world? Gumillia asked him, and after a moment she heard his reply.

“I’ve…had enough. I’ve slept for so long I’ve stopped caring about all of that. I had wanted to end everything and rebuild the world anew before humans could prosper. But it’s too late. There are a lot of humans in the ground world now, aren’t there? I no longer have enough inclination left in me to reset them.”

“…”

She prayed that he wasn’t lying. At least, it was the only thing Gumillia could do then.

“Gumillia. I don’t mind that you’re waiting here, but…The Hellish Yard has a miasma. It will slowly eat at your mind. It’d be nice if you could hold onto your sanity until my sister gets here.”

“Wha…!?”

“Well then—I’m off. Try to hang in there, kay?”

She could hear footsteps from within the light. The sound was growing steadily farther away.

“—Wait, Behemo!”

Eventually, she was no longer able to hear the footsteps.

The mask continued to laugh, with Gumillia still pressing her foot down on him

“Is this time to be laughing, Seth? At this rate you and I, will be driven mad by the miasma.”

The mask stopped laughing.

“That is a problem… But managing a situation is the duty of a scientist. First I suppose I’ll start researching a way to ward off the miasma.”

So it seemed that all she could do was put her hopes on Seth’s intellect. Gumillia took her foot off the mask.

“However…” the mask murmured with a serious tone, “Unfortunately, I obviously have no arms or legs as I am now. My research cannot commence in this state. So then. I want to put you to work as my limbs.”

“You want me to help you.” Gumillia thought on it for a moment. “—Fine. Seems like the only way I have.”

“If it’s too troublesome to carry me around, then I’d be ever so grateful if you could put me on as a mask. …Relax. I’m not some cursed mask—I won’t take over your body. It’s just that, being on a person’s face is very calming for me, given that I am, after all, a mask.”

“…Don’t trust you.”

“Oh no, you must believe me. I upheld our agreement during the battle with Lemy, didn’t I?”

“…Tch.”

Clicking her tongue, Gumillia picked up the mask and then put it on.

“—The left eye should be covered up, but I can still see just fine.”

“Don’t make light of my functions. While you are wearing the mask, you can see all even in darkness, and be able to read the hearts of other people. –Come, first we should begin by searching for materials and building some tools.”

Gumillia nodded, and began walking away.

Levia pulled away from Gumillia, and approached the enormous fountain pen in the center of the square.

“How nostalgic—the ark, ‘Sin’. …But this isn’t the real thing, is it?”

Irina answered that question.

“You’re correct. This place is your mental world. This is a place made real by the memories and feelings that have slept deep within your mind. It is for that reason that everyone here can be as their real self.”

Gumillia walked up to the ark as well. Its surface was as glassy as a mirror, and her face was faintly reflected back to her.

--Standing there was a woman she didn’t recognize.

Did that mean that this was Gumillia’s true face? As a spirit…or rather, from before that.

Levia rapped on the surface of the ark several times with her fist.

“A mental world with actual substance--Seth’s quite ingenious, to be able to create such a structure inside of a person. If he hadn’t been an ‘HER’ it wouldn’t have been out of line for him to become a fifth god.” She then turned to Irina. “Irina…You figured it out. That I wasn’t ‘Elluka’.”

“…I obtained proof only recently. Thinking on it now there were a lot of things that didn’t add up. After the ‘Leviantan Catastrophe’, you went to your friend, the ‘Great Land God Held’, and received from him a request to gather the ‘Vessels of Deadly Sin’—isn’t that right?”

“Yeah.”

“But I never heard anything about that from Elluka when she was alive. There were rumors that Elluka was in league with Held, but I knew that they weren’t true. …She had never once left the Magic Kingdom since birth.”

“A Lighwatch priestess must spend her whole life in the Magic Kingdom—So there’s no way she could have met Held in Elphegort.”

“Even supposing they had met, it was hard to imagine that Held would warm to friendship with a human. They wouldn’t even be able to talk. A friend of a god—that would have had to be either another god himself, or one of his kin.”

Gumillia and the other two people present simply listened to Levia and Irina’s conversation in silence.

Levia continued on, pulling away from the ark a little. “I had some faint scraps of memory left from Levia. That is what told me I was friends with Held. –That in itself was the truth. And so Held evidently decided to play along with this peculiar sorceress who insisted that she was his friend.”

“He realized it right away, that it was you inside Elluka’s body. …If I were Held, I would have misgivings about you regaining your memories. He saw you as a hostile figure, so much so that he’d conspired with the sun god to change you and your brother into a dragon, and sealed you inside the ‘Sin’.”

“Yes. That’s why he put me under his observation, under the pretext of this ‘search for the deadly sins’. And for a time that worked. But five hundred years later his life in this world began to run out…And there he assigned a new watchdog to me.” Levia once more approached Gumillia, and put a hand on her shoulder. “That was—you, Gumillia.”

“…Yeah, it was.” Gumillia nodded. “Lord Held decided to use, the fact that the ‘Eternal Sorceress’ wanted an apprentice. He ordered me to keep an eye on Levia, under the guise of an apprentice. To make sure that she never, suspected anything. And…if Levia ever seemed like she would get her memories, back—”

“—With Michaela’s help, you were to seal me once more?”

“Yes…But…But, I--!” Gumillia cried out, her eyes welling with tears.

Seeing that, Levia kindly patted her head.

“I know…I know, Gumillia. You—were such a superb apprentice.”

“…Sob”

Gumillia couldn’t stop the tears flowing down her face.

Still, she tightly threw her arms around Levia.

--I am not Levia’s watchdog.

--I am Elluka Clockworker’s apprentice, Gumillia.

“—Gumillia. There’s one thing that I don’t get. People who have been ‘reincarnated’ lose their memories. Just like me, and you when you were reincarnated into a chipmunk. But when I had you and Michaela reincarnate from being animals, you still had your old memories. …Why was that?”

“…We had lost our memories. But, Lord Held had a copy of our old memories, made in advance. He overwrote us with them right after, we were reborn. So that you wouldn’t find out.”

“That’s quite a lot of work there. Who’d have thought…that old goat was such a hypocrite.”

“There were side effects. Shortly after Michaela reincarnated, she told me she collapsed from fever. That was probably, a side effect. I was fine, though.”

Levia gradually released Gumillia, and then moved back towards Irina.

“Was that the only reason you started having doubts about me, Irina?”

“Let me pose a question to you. Prim Marlon was one of your friends during your time as one of the Three Heroes in Lucifenia. –Did you never realize that she was an ‘HER’?”

“…No.”

“That would be impossible, if you were a Lighwatch priestess. Elluka Chirclatia was able to cure ‘HER’. –If you had used that power, you might have been able to avert the kingdom of Lucifenia’s destruction. Elluka Clockworker had lost the ability to use a technique that she should have been able to, and had conversely also become able to use one that she couldn’t have.”

“…The Swap Technique.”

“It was simple enough to think that it was just the influence of having been revived through the ark. But a much simpler explanation would be that there was someone else entirely inside of Elluka Clockworker—”

“—Your powers of deduction are a bit too strong, Irina. Long-lived though you may be, I doubt that you could have arrived at such an answer that easily.”

Irina’s face twisted slightly, and then shifted to a light smile.

“…It was Seth. Surprisingly enough he had become the ‘Demon of Wrath’. He must have skillfully slipped in with the others when the Twins of God created the ‘Vessels of Deadly Sin’, after he had died as a human—Or maybe the other demons were made at his suggestion… After I got my hands on the golden key and met with him again, I pressed him with my many years of suspicions. Seth readily told me everything. About gods, and the existence of their kin…that the true nature of the ‘Demons of Sin’ was that they were mere shadows of those kin… I came to know the workings of the world. And it was because of that that I was able to arrive at your true nature—And so here we are.”

Irina, and Levia. The two of them had arrived at various truths.

Gumillia wiped her tears, and gazed at the two of them as they faced each other.

The Elluka that had been the target of Irina’s hatred wasn’t the real one. What sort of feelings did she have towards her now?

--She didn’t need to think about it. Irina had sent them a duel invitation.

Despite knowing the truth.

Irina, who had been standing before the ark this whole time, began to walk.

She was headed for the “Sleep Princess”, Eve.

Irina circled behind Eve, and gripped her shoulders with both hands.

“The ‘Clockworker’s Doll’. She and I have a long partnership. I tried to grant her a certain power as an experiment. The end of the world will come someday—and when that comes, it must become a utopia for me. Hers is a power I need for that purpose. And through my experimentation I finally succeeded, fifty years ago. …Though I hadn’t thought that I would end up using it here.”

Eve hadn’t said a word since arriving at the square. Even as everyone else had talked, she had just stood there in place, expressionless.

Just like a doll.

And Irina whispered into Eve’s ear:

.

“Awaken—Master of the Court.”

.

In that moment, the scenery around them completely changed.

The temple that Gumillia and the others were standing in crumbled away, except for the base. The pillars, the sculptures, everything fell down into eternity. What was left then was a pitch-black space. There were white gridlines running over it.

There were platforms floating in the dark space. The temple vanished, save only for the circular platform that the five of them stood on, and the ark in the center.

“Welcome to the ‘Court’, everyone,” Irina boldly sneered. “The Master of the Court is impartial. All shall be reset equally, and then judged. Levia, your regaining your memories was because you took her into yourself. In this world that Eve has created…this world where all are equal—death can befall even a god.”

So saying, Irina spread her arms wide.

Blue flame appeared in her hands. She had regained the magical power that she should have expended already.

“Come, let’s renew the duel! Levia, and—” Irina looked…not at Gumillia, but at the woman in the maid uniform. “—I’ll destroy you as well, Behemo!”

Upon hearing those words, Gumillia was taken by some shock.

“That’s Behemo? But I thought, Behemo was a man—”

Levia replied with an uncomfortable expression, scratching her head, “There’s no mistake, that’s my younger twin brother. We’re fraternal twins. …He’s a real pervert, Behemo.”

“’Pervert’ is so harsh, sister. What’s so bad about a man dressing up like a woman?”

Gumillia didn’t have time to waste. Irina was trying to kill her teacher and the pervert. She needed to ask her why.

“Irina, why are you after Levia? It’s true she killed you, and ruined your country. But that was, long ago now. Nothing will come back, by exacting revenge on her.”

“…You don’t understand, Gumillia. These two—and you too, I suppose. The world that the gods once lived in was destroyed by the existence of ‘HER’. They abandoned the world polluted by HER and built this world anew. …But they made a grave mistake. They failed to account for Seth—that ‘HER’ had slipped in with their comrades.”

Irina seemed to be amassing magical power. The flames in her hands increased in energy, and began to change to large pillar of fire.

“’HER’ is a pathogen. And that pathogen is ‘programmed’ to destroy everything related to the gods. They themselves, and—the world that they made. …Though it seems Seth has forgotten that, now that he’s a demon. But I haven’t. I must pass down ‘punishment’. For that…is the mission given to an HER.”

“That’s nonsense. Programming, missions…Do you have your own will in there?”

“Shut up! Once I’ve destroyed Levia and Behemo, next will be your turn. Then the remaining spirits living carefree in the forest, and the ‘Demons of Deadly Sin’—I’ll destroy them all!” Irina cried.

As she did, she lifted her arms higher.

The flames were coming—

.

“—What an interesting thing you’re doing, ‘Red Cat Mage’.”

.

Gumillia couldn’t immediately discern whose voice that was.

It wasn’t Irina, Levia, Behemo, or Eve. Naturally it wasn’t Gumillia herself.

The sixth entity descended from above them.

The woman looked like Julia—like Germaine.

Irina cried up at her, “It’s you!—‘Demon of Gluttony’! What are you doing here…What in the world did you come here for!?”

“I want to destroy the gods too. That’s why I planned to watch this most entertaining scene. But if you’ve gone and taken possession of the ‘Master of the Court’...that’s a different story. There’s a chance you’ll become a threat to me. So—I’m going to play you all against each other. Right here, alongside the gods and their kin…I will erase you too, Irina Clockworker!”

The demon lifted her right hand.

With that as the cue, something appeared from further up.

A skeleton monster much, much larger than the floating platforms was heading toward them, enormous mouth open.

“My ultimate dead soldier, the ‘Worldeater’--Come, eat them all up!”

Irina harshly clicked her tongue as she watched.

“Don’t get in my way!”

The blue flames shot towards the “Worldeater”.

Not just them. The flames were joined by a bolt of lightning. Levia had fired it.

“I’m not going to just stand by and let you kill me,” Levia muttered, holding out her right hand.

.

A sorceress, a god, and a demon.

The powerful energies being fired off from each of them all collided in one place.

And then—

In the court, destruction and fusion both occurred in succession.

The twins who had fallen from Heaven wished to destroy the world.

Everything began from that.

.

The older sister’s name was “Levia”.

The younger brother’s name was “Behemo”.

Having been sealed in the white ark “Sin”, the twins had started to grow frustrated as “Project Ma” failed to move forward.

Unable to wait any longer for the vessels they would reincarnate into to be raised, they had enticed a lone man to the ark.

The man’s name was “Kiril Clockworker”. He had lost his girlfriend Elluka Chirclatia, and had sunken into grief.

Levia tried to use him to release the seal on the ark.

If the broken ark was restored, then the twins would probably be able to leave it too. She knew that this could be achieved with the secret art that Kiril had.

Seduced by Elluka’s “voice”, Kiril arrived at the ark inside the temple.

To revive his love.

Without realizing that the true identity of this “voice” was Levia masquerading as her.

He unleashed the “Clockwork Secret Art” on Elluka’s corpse and the ark. Elluka’s body began to regenerate, and the ark’s time was wound backwards—

It had seemed as though all was going according to Levia’s plan.

But…the enormous amount of energy contained within the ark as it began to repair itself started to go haywire.

That energy triggered a massive explosion, and also caused an unforeseen situation to occur.

.

The destroyed “Sin”—left inside its remains was the dying Kiril, a twin-headed dragon, and the revived Elluka.

Elluka was unconscious, but she was most certainly breathing.

However, there was no chance of Elluka being restored to life. A human’s soul could not be reborn. That was only possible for gods and those beings close to them.

Yes…the one who had been revived as “Elluka”, and the spirits that dwelled in her body, were gods—In other words, the spirits of Levia and Behemo. The gods were reincarnated into the world by being reborn as Elluka.

The dragon itself was Levia and Behemo’s physical body.

But it was little more than a beast, without a soul or ego.

Perhaps thinking he was food, the dragon scooped up Kiril in its mouth, and then flew up through a hole in the ceiling that had been caused by the explosion.

After that the dragon ran wild—and brought the Magic Kingdom to ruin.

Be that as it may, a soulless creature couldn’t hope to live for long.

The dragon disintegrated, and then eventually vanished.

.

What “Elluka” saw when she awoke was the Magic Kingdom, reduced to a ruin.

.

There is a rule, in this world.

“-The souls of those who are reincarnated shall have their prior memories sealed-“

Even gods could not escape from this rule. Levia’s memories were reformatted, and, furthermore, due to the influence of Elluka’s “temporary memory” that was etched into the body itself, she became convinced that she was Elluka. And the spirit of her brother, Behemo, was made to sleep deep in Levia’s mind, unable to even actualize itself. For only one mind could manifest per body.

.

In this way, the “Eternal Sorceress” Elluka Clockworker was born.

--That happened over six hundred years ago.